Earlier this month, Rai confirmed that the festival will be held from Tuesday 1 to Saturday 5 February 2022. In addition, Amadeus will indeed be hosting once again, after confirming in a press conference last month that he had entered talks. Although the host will be the same, the broadcaster has teased changes ahead of next year’s festival.
Although last year’s edition of Sanremo resulted in an epic Eurovision victory for Italy in Rotterdam, this later success was not matched by the ratings of the festival itself. In a bid to win back viewers, broadcaster Rai are looking to make changes to revitalise the festival for 2022.
In an interview with ADGInforma in Rome, Artistic Director and host of Sanremo 2022 Amadeus has outlined some potential changes. One likely change is a reduction of the number of artists competing in the Campioni category from the 26 we had this year. This is the main category, from which the winner has first refusal for the Italian ticket for Eurovision.
In addition, rather than stretch the running time into the early hours of the morning, Amadeus is looking to eliminate the Prima Festival pre-contest show in order to bring the start time forward.
As the lack of audience was a big controversy and talking point for the festival both before and during, Rai are looking to have an audience back in The Teatro Ariston. The broadcaster are looking to utilise the ‘greenpass’ (COVID passport) in order to welcome a live audience back to the festival.
About Sanremo 2021
The 71st edition of Sanremo Music Festival took place between the 2nd and 6th March 2021. This was later than usual, having been pushed back due to the ongoing pandemic, which also caused other changes for the festival. For one, after weeks of exchanges between Sanremo’s Artistic Director Amadeus, the CTS and Rai, the festival did not have a live audience.
Despite the protocols, the festival went ahead with 26 participating artists. Alongside Amadeus and Floriello, the shows were co-hosted by Matilda De Angelis, Elodie, Vittoria Ceretti, Barbara Palombelli and Beatrice Venezi. Night one was opened with a performance of “Fai Rumore” by Diodato, who won the 2020 edition.
On night five, 26 became three, with Måneskin, Michielin and Fedez and Ermal Meta advancing to the superfinal. Ultimately, Måneskin triumphed with a staggering 53.5% of the vote. This success translated to Eurovision victory, winning the contest in Rotterdam with 524 points.
Are you looking forward to Sanremo 2022? Who would you like to see host/participate? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify and YouTube to see our reactions to the news in the run up to the 2022 national final season!
